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Thompson lifts Oklahoma past Colorado

Feb 13, 2010 - 11:22 PM NORMAN, Okla.(AP) -- After an easy win over Colorado, Oklahoma turned its attention to Monday night's matchup with the No. 1 team in the country.

Amanda Thompson scored 16 points to help No. 12 Oklahoma beat Colorado 65-55 on Saturday.

"We all knows what's looming on Monday," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.

Oklahoma has had one of the nation's top women's basketball programs under Coale, but the Sooners are 0-7 against UConn. Then again, the Huskies have played only one of those games in Norman - the first one, in 1999.

"The reason you play Connecticut is because your goals are bigger than what happens in a conference or getting into the (NCAA) tournament," Coale said. "Our goal as a program is to figure out how to be the best in the country, and there's no way you can do that if you don't play the best in the country."

Oklahoma beat Colorado for the eighth straight time. The Sooners (17-6, 7-3 Big 12) scored the first 11 points and led 17-2 with 14:21 left in the first half. Colorado twice rallied to within five points, including 23-18. Oklahoma answered with a 17-3 run and never looked back.

All six of the Sooners losses this season have come against ranked teams.

"I don't think there's any risk involved," Coale said, about playing the defending NCAA champions with five Big 12 games remaining. "I think what you have is an opportunity to go play free. You just go play loose and do what you do."

Oklahoma played loose Saturday, building a 56-31 lead nine minutes into the second half, then playing mostly reserves the rest of the way.

Brittany Spears scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Colorado (12-11, 2-8), which has lost six straight.